Editing Metfield

{{Short description|Village in Suffolk, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox UK place 
| official_name= Metfield
| country= England
| region= East of England
| civil_parish = Metfield
| os_grid_reference=
| coordinates = {{coord|52|22|20|N|1|22|06|E|display=inline,title}}
| population= 388
| population_ref= (2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11126509&c=Metfield&d=16&e=62&g=6466379&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1472121182734&enc=1|title=Civil Parish population 2011|accessdate=25 August 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics|work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}</ref>
| post_town= HARLESTON
| postcode_area= IP
| postcode_district= IP20
| dial_code= 01379
| constituency_westminster = [[Waveney Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Waveney Valley]]
| shire_county= [[Suffolk]]
| shire_district= [[Mid Suffolk]]
| hide_services= Yes
|static_image_name = St.John the Baptist Church, Metfield - geograph.org.uk - 1096476.jpg
|static_image_caption= Church of St. John the Baptist
}}

'''Metfield''' is a village and [[civil parish]] in the [[Mid Suffolk]] district, in [[Suffolk]], England, but its name is derived from Medefeld or 'Meadow feld' (see ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names''). It is situated close to the border with [[Norfolk]], being approximately 5 miles south east of [[Harleston, Norfolk|Harleston]] and 7 miles north west of [[Halesworth]]. The population was estimated to be 370 in 1996, increasing to 388 at the 2011 Census.

==History==
The parish was part of the historic [[Hoxne Hundred]].<ref name=gaz>{{cite book|title=History, gazetteer, and directory of Suffolk|author=William White|year=1844|page=449|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgxIAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA449}}</ref>

The [[Church of St John the Baptist, Metfield|parish church]] is the 13th-century church of [[St. John the Baptist]], which was extensively remodelled in the 15th century. St. John the Baptist has a sister parish in [[Medfield, Massachusetts]] in the [[United States]], the Church of the Advent. The town is named after Metfield.

In 1885 a [[provisional order]] reallocated part of the neighbouring parish of [[Withersdale]] to Metfield resulting in the parish encompassing 2,338 acres. In 1901 the population was recorded as 437.<ref name="ESI (1909)">{{cite book |last1=Barker |first1=Horace R. |title=East Suffolk Illustrated |date=1909 |publisher=[[Frederick George Pawsey]] |location=Bury St Edmunds}}</ref>{{rp|342}}

During [[World War II]] an airfield was built just outside Metfield for use by the [[USAAF]] [[491st Bombardment Group|491st Bomb Group]] and the [[353d Fighter Group]]. On 15 July 1944 a bomb dump blew up, detonating over 1,000 tons of bombs and explosive, killing five men and wrecking five [[B-24]]  bombers.

The local economy is mainly [[agricultural]] with some light industry.

The village now has its own website at metfieldsuffolk.com [http://metfieldsuffolk.com].

In November 2017, local author Christine Brennan published her book ''[http://www.metfieldbooks.com METFIELD Tales From a Suffolk Village 1928–2017]''.

Nearby villages include [[Cratfield]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Metfield}}
*[http://www.metfieldsuffolk.com]
*[https://www.metfieldbooks.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040702204702/http://www.455th.ukpc.net/tomfeise/tommetf.htm Metfield]
*[http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/metfield.htm St John the Baptist Church, Metfield]
*[http://www.dissexpress.co.uk/ ''Diss Express''] - village's local newspaper website
*[http://www.chuckallan.com/history/Bomb_Dump_Explosion.html a description of the explosion at the dump]

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Mid Suffolk District]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Suffolk]]


{{Suffolk-geo-stub}}